"Nature of the New Boson: a lonely Higgs, or the first of many cousins?"

Abstract : Recent measurements from the ATLAS and CMS experiments indicate that the new boson discovered in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is a Higgs boson. In the standard model of particle physics, one Higgs boson is sufficient to give mass to the W and Z particles, as well as the fundamental fermions (quarks and leptons), while also ensuring that the photon remains massless. Although this is the most economical scenario that explains electroweak symmetry breaking and the origin of fundamental particle masses, motivated extensions of the standard model predict multiple Higgs bosons with a rich phenomenology that could be detectable at the LHC. In this talk I will present latest measurements of the properties of the newly discovered boson and give an overview of the search for additional Higgs bosons. I will also discuss briefly the prospects for the coming LHC run at higher energy, which is planned to begin in 2015.

Reception : The talk will start at 4.30 p.m in the David Sizer Lecture Theatre, Bancroft Building. It will be followed by drinks and snacks in Room FB1, Queens' Building afterwards. All members of SPA (faculty, students and staff) are invited.